John Huff/Staff photographer
Auto detailer Matthew W. Miller washes a Ford Focus Tuesday for a customer at Somersworth Nissan. The car dealership provides free car washes to their customers and offers specialty detailing and paint protection services to aid clients in fending off the winter elements.

DOVER — We are all in the same salty, sandy, snowy situation. Do we, or do we not, wash our cars, knowing more snow may be on its way?

According to several car dealerships, the cleaner the vehicle the better, but there is no need to go through a wash every day.

“It is kind of like brushing your teeth,” Steve Beringer at Volkswagen of Rochester said. “If you wash them once a year, they are going to be dirty and you are going to need to do a lot more scrubbing than if you clean them more often.”

Ann Morin at Bill Dube Ford Toyota Scion cleans her car once a week, while Michael Caton at Tri-City Chrysler Dodge Jeep and Ram said it really depends on personal preference.

“It also depends on the roads you are driving on,” he added.

Caton and Beringer could not pinpoint an exact amount of car washes needed each year, but said during the winter, it is a good idea to go more often than in the summer.

“In the summer, you can go weeks without rain and warm temperatures that keep your car clean,” Beringer said. “In the winter, you can go days with heavy snow and that is when your car needs attention.”

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John Huff/Staff photographer
Auto detailer Matthew W. Miller washes a Ford Focus for a customer at Somersworth Nissan on Tuesday. The car dealership provides free car washes to their customers and offers specialty detailing and paint protection services to aid clients in fending off the winter elements.

Each dealership said the main reason cars should be washed frequently throughout the winter is to keep the undercarriage from corroding and rusting and to keep the paint and finish on the body of the car in good shape.

“A touch-free car wash helps remove the salt and sand and other road contaminates from your vehicle,” Morin said. “The undercarriage takes the most punishment and is often neglected because you can’t see it, so whether it is stones that were kicked up from tires that can nick your undercarriage or what. It is exposed bare metal that should be cleaned frequently.”

She added, “Salt and sand in the winter attach themselves to the paint and the finish and if you don’t wash your car on a regular basis, these particles can scratch the finish of your vehicle ... And not just winter particles, but in the spring, tree sap, that goes through your clear coat and let me tell you, it does not take a long time to have that happen.”

Nicole Labrie, service adviser at Bill Dube’s Quick Lane, said the salt eats away at the floorboard, gas lines, brake lines, brake pads and any exposed component of the vehicle.

“I understand we are in New England and cannot clean off the salt 100-percent of the time, but be proactive,” she said. “It will eat away at the paint and will eventually rust your car if you don’t.”

“Maine no longer does liquid brine,” Caton said of the way roads are treated, but New Hampshire still lays down the salt, which is very harmful to vehicles.

Beringer said there have been huge advancements to corrosion resistance, but cleaning is still very necessary in the cold months.

“And it is important to go through the touch-free systems so dirt and debris are not dragged along the hood of the car scratching the paint,” Caton added. “Cars used to be flipped every two to three years, but now the national average is people are holding on to cars for eight or so years. We need to keep them looking good.”

Labrie said she had a 1992 Toyota Camry in the shop on Tuesday afternoon that was in showroom condition, because of the work the owner did in keeping the car clean.

“There are so many people who don’t care about their car and others who are absolutely particular and go through the wash every week,” she said. “Yes, it is personal preference, but car washes help you in the long run. They really, really do.”

Caton said another reason why he recommends washes is so he does not have to be the bearer of bad news all the time.

“The undercarriage is like what they say, out of sight, out of mind. I have vehicles come in for inspections who have holes or rust and because I am looking underneath the car, I have to be the one to tell them at that point,” he said. “Yes, they have made advancements in materials and metals, but it is still steel you are riding on.”

Do not run out and wash your car when the snow stops falling after a storm, however. Labrie recommends waiting two to three days to allow plows to remove snow from the roads and let ice melt.

“Today would be a perfect day for a wash,” she said on Tuesday. “The roads have dried. Yesterday, I would not have done it. Wait until everything has settled on the roads.”

She also added, along with Beringer and Caton, to avoid washing vehicles in freezing temperatures.

“Don’t do it on a day that is below 30 degrees,” she said. “You may not be able to open your door to get out or open your door to get back in.”

With a possible storm this weekend looming over the Seacoast, people may not want to spend the money on a wash.

“Wash it,” Beringer said. “Crud will build up if you don’t. Keep it clean, keep it nice.”

Aside from washing, waxing is also important in keeping your vehicle in tiptop shape.

“It is important to note that you cannot wax a dirty car, though, and must make sure there is no salt or sand on your car before you wax,” Beringer said.

He recommends waxing as often as you can, claiming a quality wax to be “unbeatable.”

Tires should also be taken care of during the winter. Labrie says the rumors are true that tires lose a pound of pressure for every 10-degree drop in temperature.

“We have more customers than I can count that come in with a tire light on,” she said. “It is because right now it is 40 degrees and tonight it will be 20 degrees and the tire light will be on in the morning.” Labrie said that once people start driving their cars, the tires heat up, air expands and the tire light will turn off.

“We typically put a couple of extra pounds in there, above manufacturer recommendation to avoid the light,” she said. Caton does the same.

Labrie said if tires with low pressure are being driven on, however, the edges of the tires will be worn out and can compromise traction.

“Tire pressure makes a big difference and plays a factor as far as keeping tires in good shape,” she said.

The type of tires used in the winter can also make a difference to New Englanders’ driving experiences.

“Snow tires are kind of like colored television,” Beringer said. “Once you use them, you won’t want to go another winter without them.”

According to Labrie, snow tires on any vehicle, whether it is an SUV or a sedan, with or without four-wheel drive, offer more traction and “most definitely” make a big difference while driving in messy conditions.

Beringer said these tires are actually mandatory in Canada because of their rough winters.

Each winter tire typically runs $70 and up and cars can get several seasons out of them and prolong the life of summer tires, Beringer said.

“It is the best of both worlds,” he said.

Oh, and one more thing, Beringer said, “You wouldn’t run a marathon before warming up first, right?”

He recommends starting your car and letting it idle on days below 30 degrees, and before taking off for the car wash this week.